That wasn't him

Oh no. Caught talking about someone behind his back.

Fortunately, he had only been praising the man, without saying anything insulting.

At that thought, Xie Huizhou grew even bolder.

Xie Huizhou remained perfectly calm. "Imperial Preceptor, that was praise from the bottom of my heart. We encounter so many people and things throughout our lives. Without eyes that can discover beauty, how could we make life interesting?"

He had a pair of eyes skilled at spotting beautiful people. Few people were better-looking than he was, so he would admire them as much as he could.

"Ninth Prince, you're even more interesting than I imagined." Zhang Lanhe smiled at his words, studying Xie Huizhou thoughtfully. "You're the first person who has dared to keep staring at me."

Zhang Lanhe had noticed the intent gaze behind him. It stood out particularly clearly among all those people who dared not look him in the eye.

He had turned and spotted Xie Huizhou in a tent, chatting about something with his close friends. His animated expression on that beautiful face was especially captivating.

It made one want to listen in and hear what had made him so happy, to look a little longer at his smiling face.

Xie Huizhou had changed into well-fitting clothes today, and his figure from behind bore some resemblance to the person who had disappeared that night.

Almost instinctively, Zhang Lanhe had walked over to hear what Xie Huizhou was saying.

Then he had heard Xie Huizhou's heartfelt praise, and ripples stirred in his heart.

Someone could actually look at his monstrous appearance and still find words of praise.

Anyone who could lust after him was no ordinary person. At the very least, there was something wrong with their eyes.

Earlier, Xie Huizhou had pretended not to want to see him to his face. Yet in private, he was truly amusing, openly lusting after him.

Zhang Lanhe suddenly took an interest in the old emperor's idea of binding him and Xie Huizhou together.

If he guided Xie Huizhou into becoming what he wanted, turning him into a blade that never failed, the old emperor would be very pleased, wouldn't he?

Later, he would ask the old emperor to hand the young man over for him to teach.

Why does he keep looking at me without saying anything? Surely praising him couldn't have offended him?

In the end, Zhang Lanhe said nothing about it. He made some casual conversation and left, leaving Xie Huizhou bewildered.

Had he passed?

He kept feeling that Zhang Lanhe's gaze held ill intent, as though he were plotting against him.

The fact that Zhang Lanhe had actually exchanged a few words with Xie Huizhou instantly changed the way those shrewd nobles looked at Xie Huizhou.

Did this mean that the Imperial Preceptor, who controlled the court, intended to support the ninth prince, Xie Huizhou?

It made sense when they thought about it. Zhang Lanhe's younger cousin Li Xu was close to Xie Huizhou. Perhaps they had formed a secret alliance long ago!

In that case, the ninth prince, Xie Huizhou, was no simple figure either. His playboy persona might merely be a disguise to make others underestimate him.

The Eighth Prince had been watching what was happening over there. Seeing that the Imperial Preceptor was actually so close to Xie Huizhou, his gaze changed.

Why?

Why did the Imperial Preceptor have to choose Xie Huizhou?

Unwilling to accept it, the Eighth Prince hurried over to Zhang Lanhe, hoping to gain some special attention from him as well.

"I didn't know you would be gracing us with your presence, Imperial Preceptor. It was terribly discourteous of me not to welcome you. Have you come to hunt today, or to look for someone?"

The Eighth Prince had never invited the Imperial Preceptor, fearing that his appearance would disrupt his plans.

After thinking it over, he concluded that only the young man who still hadn't been found could make the Imperial Preceptor run about everywhere.

"Your Highness knows where he is?" Hearing the confidence in the Eighth Prince's voice, Zhang Lanhe suspected that he had some inside information and stopped walking. "Eighth Prince, I hope you aren't deceiving me."

He deeply loathed the feeling of being given hope, only to be utterly disappointed time and again. Across the long years in which the passing days and months wore away one's lifespan, it was a form of slow torture.

To curry favor with Zhang Lanhe, the Eighth Prince could no longer spare a thought for the beauty. He wanted to know whether Xie Huizhou's words were true. "I heard that Zhou Yanqing was drunk and at the restaurant that night. Their ages match, too. Imperial Preceptor, do you think he could be the person you're looking for?"

The Eighth Prince pointed toward Zhou Yanqing. Fang Yuanke, who had been protecting Zhou Yanqing all along, glared back.

At his words, Zhang Lanhe glanced toward Zhou Yanqing, only to be sorely disappointed a moment later.

It wasn't him.

Zhou Yanqing's build was entirely different. He had seen the difference at a glance.

Although he hadn't been able to see clearly that night, his hands had measured every inch. No one knew better than he did what lay beneath that person's robes.

This was merely another pawn meant to throw him off.

Zhang Lanhe thought, That sly fox is still muddying the waters. Even after more than a month, he still can't rest easy. He's even more cautious than I imagined.

Anyone else would have gradually let their guard down and given themselves away by now. That young man, however, had only grown more vigilant, releasing more and more false information.

The more Zhang Lanhe failed to get him, the more eager he became. He had traded moves in secret with the person behind that young man, yet still hadn't managed to find him.

Zhang Lanhe gave no indication of whether it was true, making the Eighth Prince uneasy.

Was Zhou Yanqing the person the Imperial Preceptor was looking for or not?

What do you mean by staying silent?

Am I really competing with the Imperial Preceptor for someone? No wonder he refuses to spare me a proper glance.

The Eighth Prince began to question his life.

"It's getting late. If we delay any longer, all the prey will have run off. Since I'm already here, I'll join everyone in the fun." Zhang Lanhe said nothing more about it. Feeling frustrated, he wanted to find some other amusement. He took his bow and arrows and mounted his horse, cutting a dashing figure. "You'd better run fast. My arrows like fast-running prey."

Whenever he spoke, he made people feel as though he would kill them if they didn't run fast enough.

Everyone headed for the hunting grounds.

The hunt began!

Meanwhile, Xie Huizhou was grumbling.

Xie Huizhou said, "Couldn't you have warned me? Luckily, I wasn't bad-mouthing him, just praising him. Otherwise, you could have been collecting my corpse."

Was this something close friends should do?

"We wanted to warn you, but he was standing right behind you. I didn't dare move." His friends breathed sighs of relief when Zhang Lanhe disappeared into the forest, then grew eager to try their hands. "The Imperial Preceptor probably only came for some fun today. There's no need to worry too much. Why don't we go hunting together and relax?"

Men ought to strive to better themselves. They had been longing for the Spring Hunt for ages.

"Go have fun first. I haven't recovered from my serious illness yet. I'll join you later." For the sake of his own life, Xie Huizhou declined his friends' invitation to hunt with them and encouraged them gently. "Do your best. Go scout the way first. I need to prepare to teach those foul-mouthed people a lesson."

After giving the guards some instructions, his friends happily charged off on horseback.

"Shadow Guard Seven, come out."

With no one else around, Xie Huizhou summoned the Shadow Guard from behind the screen where he changed his clothes.

"You came at just the right time. Now it's time for the stand-in to do his job."

Xie Huizhou disguised himself as his own Shadow Guard, preparing to slip out and take revenge in secret. He had learned some martial arts, so simply following someone wouldn't be a problem.

"Young master, will your body be all right?" The Shadow Guards expressed concern over Xie Huizhou's condition, which left him breathless after only a few steps. "If anything happens to you, how could I face our master's spirit in heaven?"

"I'm a scourge who'll live a thousand years. I'm too hard to kill." Xie Huizhou was determined to take revenge. "It would be even better if I could find something to keep my dear eighth brother busy. He's given me so many grand gifts, after all. I have to return the favor."

Quite a few people had mounted their horses and charged into the hunting grounds, and his friends had gone in to add to the chaos as well. Xie Huizhou couldn't wait any longer.

As soon as Xie Huizhou swapped identities with his Shadow Guard stand-in, he slipped into the hunting grounds disguised as a Shadow Guard.

"Play it by ear. If you can't beat them, run."